Rural Education in Minnesota
Martha McMurry & Barbara Ronningen
Education in rural Minnesota faces many challenges, including
spread-out populations, financial tribulations, aging buildings and
declining enrollments. The focus in this article is on demographic
changes occurring in rural areas: enrollment shifts, racial and ethnic
makeup and the effects of immigration.
Most rural districts are losing enrollment and are likely to
witness further declines in the future. In this they are not alone.
Enrollments are also falling in many urban districts, though the
erosion is usually less dramatic. And like urban districts, rural
districts are becoming more racially, ethnically and linguistically
diverse, though this trend varies from district to district.
Definition of “rural”
There are many ways to define “rural.” In this report, rural is
given a simple operational definition based on enrollment per square
mile. PK-12 enrollment in the 2005-2006 school year was divided
by area. Data on district area comes from the Land Management
Information Center at the Minnesota Department of Administration.
For this article, we define rural districts as those with fewer than
10 students per square mile. The rural category is then subdivided
into four groups based on gradations of density: 5 to 9.9, 2 to 4.9, 1 to
1.9 and less than 1 per square mile.
Most of the territory of Minnesota is assigned to rural school
districts, but urban schools enroll the greater share of students.
Collectively, rural districts with fewer than 10 students per square
mile cover 87% of Minnesota’s geographic area but account for only
23% of students.
Rural districts
Fifty-two districts have between 5 and 9.9 students per square
mile. These districts account for 12% of the state’s area and about
Rural Minnesota Journal
Figure 1: Average number of students per district, by district density:
2005-2006.
Average enrollment per district
12,000
10,890
10,000
8,000
6,000
3,555
4,000
2,000
416
0
480
742
1,332
Under 1 1 to 2.9 2 to 4.9 5 to 9.9 10 to 99.9 100+
Student density: students per square mile
Source: Minnesota Department of Education; Land Management
Information Center
Figure 2: Average square miles per district, by district density: 20052006.
Average square miles per district
1,000
800
810
600
400
327
249
200
193
148
41
0
Under 1 1 to 1.9 2 to 4.9 5 to 9.9 10 to 99.9 100+
Student density: students per square mile
Source: Minnesota Department of Education; Land Management
Information Center
8% of all students. Many are headquartered in moderate-sized cities,
including New Ulm, Little Falls and Bemidji. On average these
districts cover 193 square miles and have 1,332 students.
McMurry & Ronningen
Figures 3 & 4: In 2005-06, the vast majority of students are in denser districts,
while the vast majority of area is in less dense districts.
Under 1
1%
100+
2%
1 to 1.9
3%
2 to 4.9
11%
10 to 99.9
12%
5 to 9.9
9%
100+
46%
Under 1
22%
5 to 9.9
12%
1 to 1.9
17%
10 to 99.9
30%
Percent of all enrollment
2 to 4.9
35%
Percent of total area
Source: Minnesota Department of Education; Land Management Information Center
One hundred seventeen districts fall into the next sparser
category with between 2 and 4.9 students per square mile. These
districts cover 35% of Minnesota’s area and enroll 9% of all students.
Western and southeastern Minnesota have the most districts in this
category. The average enrollment per district is 742 students and the
average area is 249 square miles.
Forty-five districts have between 1 and 1.9 students per square
mile. The majority of these districts are in western Minnesota. These
districts cover 17% of the state’s geographic area but enroll only
3% of students. On average, they have 480 students and cover 327
square miles.
The 23 least-dense districts have less than 1 student per square
mile. These districts cover 22% of Minnesota territory and account
for 1% of all students. These most rural districts are concentrated in
the northwestern and northeastern parts of the state. The average
enrollment per district is 416, and the average area is 810 square
miles.
Urban districts
Districts with more than 10 students per square mile will be
called “urban” districts in this report. Sixty-seven districts have
between 10 and 99.9 students per square mile. This category
includes some suburban districts as well as districts in regional
centers such as St. Cloud and Duluth. These districts cover 12% of
Minnesota’s geographic area and enroll 30% of all students.
Rural Minnesota Journal
Figure 5: Seventy-five percent of Minnesota school districts saw
enrollment declines between 2000-2001 and 2005-2006.
20
100+
15
32
10 to 99.9
Student density
Increasing
Declining
35
43
5 to 9.9
9
99
2 to 4.9
41
1 to 1.9
22
Under 1
0
18
4
1
20
40
60
80
100
120
Number of districts
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
Figure 6: Enrollments fall faster in rural districts: Enrollment
change, 2000-01 to 2005-06.
-2.4%
100+
0.9%
Student density
10 to 99.9
-7.4%
5 to 9.9
-10.1%
2 to 4.9
-11.5%
1 to 1.9
Under 1
-20.0%
-17.0%
-15.0%
-10.0%
-5.0%
0.0%
5.0%
Percent change, 2000-01 to 2005-06
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
The most urbanized districts are those with a density of 100
or more students per square mile. Thirty-five districts meet this
criterion. Almost all, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, are in the
Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Almost half – 46% – of public PK-12
students are enrolled in these districts, but they cover only 2% of the
state’s total area.
McMurry & Ronningen
Table 1: Less-dense districts lose enrollment at a greater rate.
District Density
(students per sq. mile)
Districts with
declining
enrollment
Number of
districts
Less than 1
23
22
1 to 1.9
45
41
2 to 4.9
117
99
5 to 9.9
52
43
10 to 99.9
67
32
100+
35
20
339
257
All districts
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
Rural districts experience larger enrollment declines
Enrollment declines are widespread across Minnesota. Three
quarters of all districts had fewer students in the 2005-2006 school
year than in 2000-2001. The least dense districts were most likely to
experience falling enrollments and had on average proportionally
larger declines. Between 2000-2001 and 2005-2006, enrollment fell
17% in districts with fewer than 1 student per square mile, 12% in
districts with between 1 and 1.9 students per square mile, and 10% in
districts with between 2 and 4.9 students per square mile.
Figure 7: Enrollment in lower grades is smaller than high school enrollment in all
types of districts (12th grade=100).
Ratio to 100 12th graders
120
100
10+
80
1 to 9.9
Under 1
60
KG 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Grade
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
9
10 11 12
Rural Minnesota Journal
Table 2: Enrollment change from 2000-01 to 2005-06, by grade and district density.
Density (Students per square mile)
Grade
Year
Under 1
1 to1.9
2 to 4.9
5 to 9.9
10 to 99.9
Kind.
00-01
715
1,570
5,916
4,709
15,539
29,187
100+
Kind.
05-06
584
1,485
6,034
4,733
16,963
27,456
Grade 1
00-01
718
1,461
6,096
4,698
15,885
29,259
Grade 1
05-06
600
1,446
5,769
4,842
16,935
27,455
Grade 2
00-01
729
1,604
6,373
5,049
16,297
29,507
Grade 2
05-06
621
1,481
5,761
4,624
16,937
27,130
Grade 3
00-01
789
1,632
6,649
5,130
16,834
30,032
Grade 3
05-06
602
1,445
5,902
4,809
16,705
27,303
Grade 4
00-01
843
1,795
6,748
5,182
17,254
30,231
Grade 4
05-06
639
1,479
5,822
4,629
16,626
27,382
Grade 5
00-01
845
1,851
7,092
5,531
18,032
31,071
Grade 5
05-06
682
1,551
6,019
4,840
17,050
27,826
Grade 6
00-01
856
1,885
7,261
5,673
18,024
30,160
Grade 6
05-06
711
1,536
6,264
5,013
17,443
28,428
Grade 7
00-01
944
1,975
7,737
6,139
18,714
29,789
Grade 7
05-06
796
1,694
6,824
5,663
18,438
28,901
Grade 8
00-01
959
2,021
8,117
5,940
18,725
29,428
Grade 8
05-06
858
1,730
7,276
5,378
18,689
29,644
Grade 9
00-01
955
2,102
8,468
6,577
20,178
31,122
Grade 9
05-06
870
1,887
7,329
5,835
19,935
31,343
Grade 10
00-01
1,007
2,157
8,648
6,551
20,136
30,816
Grade 10
05-06
857
1,975
7,645
5,976
20,131
31,937
Grade 11
00-01
935
2,063
8,389
6,433
19,113
28,189
Grade 11
05-06
835
1,827
7,595
5,888
19,455
30,201
Grade 12
00-01
963
1,961
8,225
6,275
18,917
27,966
Grade 12
05-06
818
1,835
7,525
5,972
19,538
31,219
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
In the most rural districts, those with fewer than 2 students
per square mile, enrollments fell in every grade. In districts with
between 2 and 9.9 students per square mile, enrollments fell in all
grades except kindergarten and/or first grade. The near-universal
McMurry & Ronningen
Figure 8: Diversity varies by enrollment density.
20.9%
State average
32.7%
Student density
100+
10.3%
10 to 99.9
9.4%
5 to 9.9
8.8%
2 to 4.9
18.9%
1 to 1.9
10.5%
Under 1
0.0%
5.0%
10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0%
Percent non-white or Latino, 2005-06
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
enrollment declines across grade levels do not augur well for future
enrollments in rural areas.
In addition, in districts across the urban-rural spectrum,
enrollments are higher in the upper grades than in the lower grades.
As the larger high school cohorts graduate, they will be replaced
by the smaller classes now in elementary and middle schools. The
discrepancies between high school and elementary enrollments are
greater in rural districts. In districts with fewer than 5 students per
square mile, the ratio of kindergarteners per 100 seniors is in the
range of 70 to 80. The ratios in urban districts are closer to 90 per
100.
Widespread enrollment declines and smaller class sizes in the
lower grades will make life challenging for rural school district
administrators. While many urban districts face the same issues, the
data suggests that student populations will dwindle faster in rural
areas.
Race and ethnicity of students
The racial and ethnic diversity of the student body varies greatly
from district to district. Overall, urban districts with more than 100
students per square mile have the highest proportions of non-white
or Latino students, 33%. Rural districts with between 1 and 1.9
students per square mile rank second with 19%. Large American
Indian enrollments in districts such as Red Lake, Waubun and
Mahnomen account for this high ranking.
Rural Minnesota Journal
Table 3: Various ethnic and racial groups as percent of total enrollment.
District
Density
(students
per sq.
mile)
American
Indian
Asian
Hispanic
Black
White
American
Indian as
percent
of
minority
8.4
0.5
0.7
0.8
89.5
80.3
6.8
1 to 1.9
15.3
0.9
2.0
0.7
81.1
80.8
10.7
2 to 4.9
3.2
1.0
3.7
0.9
91.2
36.2
42.4
5 to 9.9
2.4
1.0
5.1
0.9
90.6
25.2
54.4
10 to 99.9
1.1
2.3
4.0
2.9
89.7
11.0
38.7
100+
1.3
9.9
6.9
14.6
67.3
4.0
21.1
All districts
2.0
5.6
5.3
7.9
79.1
9.6
25.6
Less than 1
Hispanic
as
percent
of
minority
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
Figure 9: Indian students make up a large share of minority enrollments in rural districts.
American Indians as percentage
of minority enrollment
100.0%
80.0%
80.3%
80.8%
60.0%
40.0%
36.2%
25.2%
20.0%
11.0%
4.0%
0.0%
Under 1 1 to 1.9 2 to 4.9 5 to 9.9 10 to 99.9 100+
Student density
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
Minority students in rural districts are predominantly American
Indians and Latinos. In districts with fewer than 2 students per
square mile, more than 80% of minority students are American
Indians. Outside of districts in traditional Indian areas, minorities
account for only a small proportion of students in the least dense
districts.
McMurry & Ronningen
Figure 10: White enrollments fall while minority enrollments rise in
districts of all sizes.
Minority
White
-9.9%
100+
-2.5%
10 to 99.9
Student density
18.0%
5 to 9.9
-9.8%
2 to 4.9
-12.0%
-14.1%
1 to 1.9
44.1%
22.9%
16.3%
1.7%
-19.4%
Under 1
11.7%
-20.0% -10.0% 0.0%
10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%
Percent change in enrollment, 2000-01 to 2005-06
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
Figure 11: Rural students are more likely to qualify for free or reduced price
meals, and the percentage qualifying is increasing.
25.5%
29.8%
State average
Student density
2000-2001
25.7%
30.6%
100+
2005-2006
19.6%
23.4%
10 to 99.9
26.5%
30.8%
5 to 9.9
32.4%
37.1%
2 to 4.9
44.2%
46.9%
1 to 1.9
37.6%
Under 1
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
42.8%
40.0%
50.0%
Percentage of K-12 students receiving free/reduced-price meals
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
In districts with between 2 and 4.9 students per square mile,
about 3% of students are American Indians and about 4% are Latino.
Latino enrollments grew 28% over five years in this size category.
Districts with substantial Latino enrollments include Madelia,
Crookston, Pelican Rapids, and Sleepy Eye.
1,683
2,441
5,495
5 to 9.9
10 to 99.9
100+
10
1,650
2,703
5,025
5 to 9.9
10 to 99.9
100+
16,253
2,763
2 to 4.9
All districts
3,306
806
American
Indian
1 to 1.9
Less than 1
District
Density
16,327
2,716
2 to 4.9
All districts
3,273
719
American
Indian
1 to 1.9
Less than 1
District
Density
45,089
37,661
5,579
716
888
196
49
Asian
41,706
35,324
4,542
730
858
195
57
Asian
53,530
48,421
4,024
448
460
133
44
Black
694,825
285,186
219,106
69,552
89,943
20,418
10,620
White
139,564
105,694
17,058
5,326
6,563
4,024
43,049
26,243
9,504
3,559
3,238
437
68
Hispanic
64,060
55,668
6,790
623
743
155
81
Black
638,485
256,897
213,609
62,754
79,121
17,545
8,559
White
899
Minority
168,451
124,597
24,576
6,548
7,632
4,094
1,004
Minority
Enrollment in 2005-2006 school year
28,001
16,454
6,051
2,465
2,529
423
79
Hispanic
Enrollment in 2000-2001 school year
806,936
381,494
238,185
69,302
86,753
21,639
9,563
Total
834,389
390,880
236,164
74,878
96,506
24,442
11,519
Total
20.9
32.7
10.3
9.4
8.8
18.9
10.5
Percent
Minority
16.7
27.0
7.2
7.1
6.8
16.5
7.8
Percent
Minority
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
Table 4a: Non-white and
Latino enrollments have
increased in districts of all
sizes, but the rate of growth
varies from district to
district.
Rural Minnesota Journal
McMurry & Ronningen
Table 4b: Change in white and minority enrollment, 2000-01 to
2005-06, by district density.
Enrollment change, 00-01 to 05-06
Total
Number
change
Total
Percent
change
White
enollment
change
White
enollment,
percent
change
Minority
enollment
change
Minority
enollment,
percent
change
Less than 1
-1,956
-17
-2,061
-19
105
12
1 to 1.9
-2,803
-11
-2,873
-14
70
2
2 to 4.9
-9,753
-10
-10,822
-12
1,069
16
5 to 9.9
-5,576
-7
-6,798
-10
1,222
23
2,021
1
-5,497
-3
7,518
44
-9,386
-2
-28,289
-10
18,903
18
-27,453
-3
-56,340
-8
28,887
21
District
Density
10 to 99.9
100+
All districts
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
White enrollments decline
White enrollment has fallen in districts of all sizes, with the
most rapid declines occurring in the most rural districts. White
enrollments have also dropped substantially in urban districts with
more than 100 students per square mile. Districts with between 10
and 99.9 students per square mile saw the smallest percent decline in
white enrollment. This group includes many fast-growing suburban
districts.
Non-white and Latino enrollments have increased in districts of
all sizes, but the rate of growth varies from district to district. The
most rapid gains occurred in urban districts with between 10 and
99.9 students per square mile. The least dense rural districts had the
slowest rate of increase. Denser rural districts, those with 5 to 9.9
students per square mile, posted solid gains in minority enrollment.
This largely reflects growth in the number of Latino students.
Free or reduced-price meals
Rural students are more likely to qualify for free or reducedprice meals than are urban students. In districts with fewer than 2
students per square mile, more than 40% are eligible. Urban districts
with 10 to 99.9 students per square mile have the lowest proportions
of low-income students. The proportion of students receiving a free
or reduced-cost meal has increased in districts at all density levels.
11
Rural Minnesota Journal
Table 5: Charter school and minority enrollment, 2005-06.
20052006
20052006
20052006
20052006
Charter
Total
Charter
Minority
Total K-12
enrollment
Minority
K-12
enrollment
Charter school
enrollment as
percent of total
enrollment,
2005-2006
Total
Minority
Twin
Cities Area
15,845
10,127
501,293
142,857
3.2%
7.1%
Outside
Twin
Cities Area
4,502
543
337,704
39,370
1.3%
1.4%
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
The proportion of students receiving special education services
shows little trend over time, and differences by density category are
negligible.
Charter schools
Charter school enrollments are increasing, but it appears they
are having more effect in urban areas than in rural areas. Charter
schools do not have geographic boundaries, so it is not possible
to calculate density for charter schools. Instead, charter schools
are grouped by broad region. In the 2005-2006 school years, 3.2%
of students in the 11-county Twin Cities were enrolled in charter
schools, compared to 1.3% of students in the rest of the state.
In the Twin Cities, charter schools have a strong appeal to
minority students, but this is not the case in rural districts. Sixtyfour percent of charter school students in the Twin Cities area are
minorities, but only 12% of charter school enrollees outside the Twin
Cities are non-white or Latino.
Private school enrollments are falling
Private school enrollments are falling in both urban and rural
areas. As with charter schools, private schools do not have district
boundaries, so it is not possible to calculate density. Outside
the Twin Cities, private school enrollments dropped 15% and
enrollments fell in every grade. In the 11-county Twin Cities region,
private school enrollments fell 4%. Enrollments rose in the higher
grades but declined in lower grades. About 11% of metro-area
students and 9% of non-metro students attend private schools.
12
McMurry & Ronningen
Figure 12: Percent of students who do not speak English is rising in
all types of districts.
7.5%
State average
10.4%
12.6%
100+
16.0%
4.0%
5.6%
Student density
10 to 99.9
1.3%
5 to 9.9
3.2%
1.0%
2 to 4.9
3.5%
2000-2001
1.4%
1 to 1.9
3.5%
2005-2006
0.7%
0.8%
Under 1
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
Percentage of K-12 students not speaking English at home
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
Many rural districts are becoming more linguistically diverse
Linguistic diversity in Minnesota schools has spread throughout
the state. Metro area schools have long had large numbers of
students who speak a language other than English at home, but for
rural schools, the recent influx of immigrant children has meant a
new set of challenges for educators. School districts in the southern
part of the state have the most linguistic diversity, while those in the
northern areas have very little.
Data note: The Minnesota Department of Education collects
information on the language spoken at home for all students in Minnesota
schools. The data is coded for each school district, for county (the location
Table 6: The number of students who do not speak English has risen dramatically in
the last few years.
Total
Enrollment
Total Non-Englishspeaking Students
Number of
Districts* with
non-Englishspeaking Students
Non-English
Speaking
Students as
Percent of Total
2000-2001
844,925
63,116
301 out of 444
7.5%
2005-2006
827,610
85,904
353 out of 499
10.4%
*Charter schools are included in this count and may account for some of the increase
in the number of districts with non-English speaking students.
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
13
Rural Minnesota Journal
Table 7: Languages spoken by more than 1,000 residents of Minnesota and the number of students speaking those languages.
Languages spoken
by more than 1,000
students in Minnesota
Number of
Students in
Greater Minnesota
Percent of Students in
Greater Minnesota
Hmong
976
4.3%
Spanish
10,790
35.4%
Somali
1,836
23.7%
Vietnamese
526
16.9%
Russian
466
19.0%
Chinese
264
16.1%
Laotian
772
37.4%
Cambodian
438
26.7%
36
3.0%
Creole English
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
of the administrative center) and for economic development region. Some
students who speak a non-English language at home are also fluent in
English. While some students who speak a non-English language at home
also speak English, the language data provides a good indicator of the
number of students needing English Language Learner instruction. In
addition, this data can be used as a proxy for the geographic distribution of
immigrants in Minnesota.
In the 2005-2006 school year, 85,904 students in Minnesota
schools spoke a language other than English at home. This number
continues to grow even as total enrollment declines. In 2000-2001,
7.5% of students spoke a language other than English at home; in
the current school year, the proportion is 10.4%. Overall enrollment
declines and increases in the number of students who do not speak
English at home result in greater impacts on schools. This trend
shows no signs of slowing in the near future.
In the current school year (2005-2006), about 67.5% of all nonEnglish-speaking students attend schools with a density exceeding
100 per square mile. The number of non-English speaking students
in rural schools (density less than 10 per square mile) in 2005-2006
is 5,657 or 6.5% of all non-English speaking students. Both the
number and percentage are small, but the scattering of non-English
speakers makes teaching these students more difficult and more
expensive. When only a few students need these programs, the cost
14
McMurry & Ronningen
per pupil becomes very high and a real challenge to small districts.
The funding formula for English Language Learner (also known as
Limited English Proficiency) programs provides $700 per average
daily membership. Districts with up to 20 ADM needing English
language instruction receive $14,000 per year in funding. In districts
with few non-English speakers at several different grade levels, the
additional $14,000 cannot be expected to cover the entire cost of the
ELL program. In districts with hundreds or thousands of children
needing English Language Learner instruction, the per-pupil cost of
these programs is more manageable.
Proportion of non-English speakers increases
Since 2000-2001, enrollment in rural schools at all density levels
has declined markedly. And except for the most sparsely populated
districts, enrollment of students speaking non-English languages
has increased. The result is higher proportions of students speaking
languages other than English in all rural schools.
Spanish and Hmong are most widely spoken
In the 2005-2006 school year, 30,464 students in Minnesota
schools spoke Spanish — more than any other non-English language.
Spanish speakers are also geographically widespread throughout the
state. Hmong speakers rank second, with 22,737 speakers, but nearly
all are in the seven-county Twin Cities area. Among non-Englishspeaking groups with more than 1,000 students, only Laotian
Figure 13: Spanish enrollments grew the most in the most urban districts.
2.1%
State average
3.7%
2.6%
Student density
100+
4.9%
1.9%
10 to 99.9
5 to 9.9
2.6%
2000-2001
0.8%
0.9%
1 to 1.9
0.0%
2.8%
1.8%
2 to 4.9
Under 1
2.7%
1.7%
2005-2006
0.2%
0.2%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
Spanish speakers as percentage of K-12 students
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
15
5.0%
Rural Minnesota Journal
Figure 14: Hmong speakers are concentrated in the most urban districts.
2.6%
2.7%
State average
5.2%
5.3%
100+
0.2%
0.4%
Student density
10 to 99.9
5 to 9.9
0.0%
0.0%
0.3%
0.4%
2 to 4.9
2000-2001
0.0%
1 to 1.9 0.0%
2005-2006
0.0%
Under 1 0.0%
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%
Hmong speakers as percentage of K-12 students
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
speakers are more likely than Spanish speakers to live in Greater
Minnesota. Almost one quarter of Somali speakers live outside
the Twin Cities, and Cambodians are also likely to live in Greater
Minnesota.
Figure 15: Northern Minnesota has the fewest non-English speakers. (Number of non-English speakers and percentage of total enrollment by economic
development region.)
605
354
190
1,214
323
Minnesota total: 10.4%
0.4% to 1.3%
363
2.6% to 4.0%
2,318
311
2,032
1,788
7.2% to 10.5%
67,103
2,418
15.1% to 15.1%
6,720
Source: Minnesota
Department of Education
16
McMurry & Ronningen
Chippewa, Serbo-Croatian, German, South Asian languages,
Arabic, Nuer (Sudanese language), Kurdish and Korean all have
more than 100 student speakers in Greater Minnesota.
Regional differences: the North
The northern part of the state (Economic Development Regions
1, 2, 3 and 5) has the least linguistic diversity. Total enrollment in this
area is 101,055 but only 1,472 (1.5%) speak a non-English language.
Half of the non-English students are in rural districts (those with
a student density of less than 10 per square mile). Even the larger,
denser districts in the northern region have little linguistic diversity.
In Duluth, the largest district in this area, less than 1% of students
speak a language other than English at home.
In Minnesota’s northern regions, more than half of the nonEnglish speakers are in just four districts. Districts with fewer than
1 student per square mile in the northern regions have only 18
non-English speaking students or 0.2% of total enrollment. Districts
with between 1 and 2 students per square mile have a much larger
number and percentage of non-English speaking students — 624,
or 4.3%. Two districts account for most of the linguistic diversity:
Red Lake has 307 Chippewa-speaking students and Win-E-Mac has
Figure 16: More Spanish speakers live in western and southern Minnesota. (Number of Spanish speakers and percentage of total enrollment by economic development region.)
407
17
22
718
265
Minnesota: 3.7%
109
237
1,191
0.0% to 1.0%
1.0% to 2.5%
939
2.5% to 5.0%
1,634
19,684
1,961
5.0% to 8.3%
3,277
Source: Minnesota
Department of Education
17
Rural Minnesota Journal
107 Russian speakers. In addition, Warroad has 73 Laotian speakers
and Warren-Alvarado-Oslo has 53 Spanish speakers. Districts with
densities between 2 and 4.9 students per square mile had little
linguistic diversity – 1.3% of all students (325) spoke a non-English
language, but nearly half (157) were Spanish speakers in Crookston
schools. Districts with between 5 and 10 students per square mile
had a similar percentage (1.6%) of non-English speakers. Long
Prairie schools with 203 Spanish speaking students had two thirds of
all non-English speakers.
Regional differences: the South
The southern regions (Economic Development Regions 8, 9,
and 10) are much more linguistically diverse than the north. The
concentration of meat and poultry processing plants, other food
processing and animal agriculture has drawn large numbers of
immigrants to this part of the state. While Spanish is spoken by the
majority of non-English students, linguistic diversity in the region
is much greater than in the north. In these regions, 8.5% of students
speak a non-English language at home with 6% speaking Spanish.
The southern region has fewer very sparse districts than the
north – only two districts (both in Region 8) have fewer than 1
student per square mile. These districts have four non-English
speaking students. Ten districts have 1 to 2 students per square mile,
all but one in the southwest (Region 8). Less than 3% of students
speak a non-English language, and 60 of the 65 non-English students
in these districts speak Spanish.
A total of 1,349 students in districts with 2 to 5 students per
square mile speak 27 different languages. These districts are fairly
evenly distributed across the southern regions. Not only are the
proportions higher in these districts, but the diversity of languages
is much greater. In total 4.8% of students are non-English speaking,
and 3% speak Spanish. In addition to Spanish (2,005 students), there
are 308 Hmong speakers and 58 Laotian speakers.
In southern schools with from 5 to 10 students per square mile,
a total of 23 non-English languages are spoken, and 9.9% of students
speak a language other than English at home. This proportion is
only slightly smaller than in southern districts with more than
10 students per square mile (generally larger urban districts). In
districts with more than 10 students per square mile, 10.9% of
students speak a non-English language. In the more dense rural
districts (5 to 10 students per square mile) the proportion of students
speaking non-English languages ranges from 39% in Worthington
schools (including students in Worthington Public Schools and the
18
McMurry & Ronningen
Worthington Area Language Academy) and 29.3% in St. James to
0.2% in St. Clair. Spanish speaking students in Worthington make
up 28.3% of all students (643). But Worthington also has students
speaking 13 other languages.
Regional differences: the Middle
Central Minnesota regions are a linguistic middle ground. Rural
schools in Regions 4 and 6W are more like the southern regions,
while those in Regions 6E, 7E and 7W are more like the northern
regions. There are no very sparse districts in Regions 6E, 7E and
7W. In the sparsest districts in Regions 4 and 6W, 35 students speak
German and 13 speak Spanish, or 5.1% of all students. In districts
with 1 to 2 students per square mile, no students in the eastern
regions speak a non-English language, but in the western regions, 52
students (1.7%) are non-English speakers, with about half speaking
Spanish.
In districts with 2 to 5 students per square mile, the pattern
reverses with a higher percentage of non-English students in the
eastern regions (5.4% vs. 3.7% in the western regions). The most
densely populated (5 to 10 students per square mile) rural districts
in these regions are less linguistically diverse, with 2% of students in
Regions 4 and 6W and 2.8% in 6E, 7E and 7W speaking non-English
languages. The more densely populated districts in these regions
are generally in regional centers such as Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls,
Montevideo, Litchfield, Sauk Center, and Mora. Spanish speakers
dominate the non-English speaking student population, but in these
larger areas, the proportion of total enrollment is smaller.
Summary
Rural school districts can expect to face serious challenges
in coming years. School enrollments have fallen throughout
Minnesota, but declines have been larger and more pervasive in
rural areas. The decline in lower-grade enrollments suggest this
trend will not go away any time soon. Districts will have to provide
services to their shrinking student populations at the same time their
state aid per-pupil revenues are shrinking.
The growing ethnic and linguistic diversity of Minnesota’s
student population will affect many rural districts as well. Overall,
rural districts remain less diverse than urban districts, but in some
districts the mix of students is changing rapidly. Small rural districts
with growing immigrant populations need to provide special
services, but if enrollments are small, the per-student cost may be
substantially higher than in larger districts.
19